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Yosemite Conservancy

@yosemiteconservancy

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Inspiring people to help preserve and protect Yosemite.

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Happy Rock-tober from everyone's favorite granite wonderland- Yosemite! As temperatures cool and leaves begin to change color, there is still an abundance of Conservancy programs to deepen your connection to the park.

Sunset and Stargazing programs are now on Fridays and Saturdays through November.

Art Classes at Happy Isles will continue until October 16 when Happy Isles Art & Nature Center closes for the season.

On National Mule Appreciation Day, October 26, Yosemite's mules will take over the Conservancy's social media for a day.

Learn more about Conservancy's programs in the park at the link in our bio to http://yosemite.org/experience. by @yosemiteconservancy

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7 days ago

Hey bear! Yosemite National Park is home to black bears. They are incredible mammals with beautiful fur in shades of brown, blonde, cinnamon, and black, curious minds, and a great sense of smell. This year in particular fruit is ripening early throughout the park, bringing bears into areas where people are. Help the #YosemiteBearTeam by following these three simple rules when visiting Yosemite or other black bear habitat:

- Store your food (in a bear box, in a building, or at arms' reach) at all times
- Give them room, use your zoom!
- Follow the speed limit and lookout for wildlife

Want to learn more about Yosemite's black bears? Check out the link in our bio to http://KeepBearsWild.org.

Photos mama and cubs by Lance Allen, bears in campground courtesy of NPS, red bear, dead bear sign courtesy of NPS. by @yosemiteconservancy

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3 months ago

Why do leaves change color? Yosemite Conservancy Senior Naturalist Cory Goehring explains why and how leaves change color in the fall. Watch the landscape transform as seasonal shifts cause trees to pull back the chlorophyll in the leaves, revealing the autumn palette.

Do you have curious questions about Yosemite? Leave them in the comments below and they may become the subject of a future Yosemite Science video.

Description: Cory stands by a branch of a big leaf maple where the leaves are starting to change from green to yellow. There are scenes of fall colors in Yosemite Valley with clips of yellow big leaf maples, green leaves turning red on a Pacific dogwood, and the brown and gold leaves of the black oaks. We then see Cory standing next to the vibrant red leaves of the Valley sugar maple. Watch the orangey-red leaves before a final pan across fall colors in Yosemite Valley with Bridalveil Fall in background. #yosemite #fallvibes taken in Yosemite National Park by @yosemiteconservancy

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6 hours ago

Are you ready to full send DAF(F) Day 2026? Today is a new holiday and we’re still trying to figure out the best Yosemite way to celebrate.
If you have a Donor Advised Fund, completing DAF forms is a pretty easy way to give back to the park we all know and love. Giving to Yosemite Conservancy supports everything from trail maintenance and scientific research to habitat restoration and youth programming. All you need to know is Yosemite Conservancy’s Tax ID # 94-3058041. Learn more at yosemite.org/daf

Sending the Dome Across From Fairview aka DAFF Dome is another great way to celebrate. This beautiful granite rock face can be found nestled in densely domed area just north of Tenaya Lake.
Description: Two women excitedly greet each other in a hallway then sit at a coffee table. One shares a phone screen and the other has climbing gear and guide book. They end with helmets on headed to summit DAFF Dome. by @yosemiteconservancy

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a day ago

Wanted to shout out the @yosemiteconservancy for their important work protecting and preserving the iconic @yosemitenps!

Home to the 2,425-foot Yosemite Falls, ancient giant sequoias and some of the most recognizable landscapes in the country, Yosemite is a pretty special place.

We’re grateful for Yosemite Conservancy’s partnership and stewardship, and all they do to help protect it for generations to come. 🏔️

#yosemite
#yosemitenationalpark
#yosemiteconservancy
#brooktrout
#protecttheflow by @yosemiteconservancy

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2 days ago

Have you ever wondered where the idea for bear boxes came from? During the late 1920’s, black bears in Yosemite National Park were often eating from dump sites, roaming through camps, sniffing out human food, and being exploited for our entertainment.

George Meléndez Wright recognized the disservice in this and pioneered the first wildlife biology plan, using his own money, for the National Park Service.

Joined by his colleagues Joseph Dixon and Ben Thompson, Wright compiled their enormous body of field research into a report, Fauna No. 1. This text was far ahead of its time being the first to recommend bear boxes to reduce human/bear conflicts, a practice not adapted until decades later!

Next time you store your ice chest full of delicious sandwich ingredients in your bear box and latch it closed, you can thank George Meléndez Wright for inspiring service-wide wildlife conservation!

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
Image: Moon rising over mountain landscape by Cara Wood Harris (@caratakingpictures) by @yosemiteconservancy

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3 days ago

Yosemite Facelift 2026 Results:
- 1625 volunteers, MORE THAN 15,000 hours volunteered
- 10,090 pounds of trash removed
🤯

Thank you to everyone who came out this year and to everyone who has come out year, after year! It truly means a lot to us to see so many people give care back to nature!

#yosemite #yosemitefacelift #yosemitenationalpark #publiclands #supportpubliclands taken in Yosemite Village, California by @yosemiteconservancy

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4 days ago

HBD YNP! 🥳 🎂 On October 1, 1890, Yosemite became the third official national park. 136 years later, Yosemite remains one of the most beloved national parks in the world. What do you love the most about Yosemite?

“A park is a place where people from all walks of life can come together and find common ground.” - Frederick Law Olmsted

Yosemite brings people from across the globe together. Millions of people travel annually to seek awe in the majesty of nature. Whether we gather at Olmsted Point or Yosemite Falls, under the Grizzly Giant or in Parsons Memorial Lodge, the common ground of our national park, this shared space is ours collectively, to care for and steward for future generations.

Happy Birthday Yosemite National Park. Thank you for being here, for all of us. And thank you to all the stewards, past and present and future, who help the park to thrive.

Photos:
Joyful people posing at Olmsted Point by Walklett
Hikers on the Mist Trail by Sabrina Claros
Visitors enjoying the Grizzly Giant by Gretchen Roecker
Crowd nestled in at the Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival at Parsons Memorial Lodge courtesy of NPS by @yosemiteconservancy

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8 days ago

Happy forests need healthy fires. Welcome back to Yosemite Science! Marty Anderson, Conservancy Naturalist, is talking trees and pine bark beetles this week for the second part of our Fire Ecology series.

Marty explores why there are so many dead trees in Yosemite and how this issue can be resolved. Gentle Fires! The seven associated Tribes of Yosemite tended the landscape with cultural burning since time immemorial, until settlers put a stop to this practice and now we are learning from the repercussions of this choice. The park has reintroduced mechanical thinning and controlled burns to Yosemite, moving towards a healthier forest.

Do you have any burning questions about Yosemite? Let us know in the comments below!

Description: Flames of a controlled burn, a naturalist stands in a dead hallowed out tree, a video of tree tops, a naturalist standing infant of a dead tree, and a naturalists sitting on a downed log.
#Yosemite #Science by @yosemiteconservancy

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10 days ago

Too many trees?! Welcome back to Yosemite Science! Marty Anderson, Conservancy Naturalist, has a burning question this week: Is there such thing as too many trees?

In Part One of this two part series Marty explores Fire Ecology in Yosemite. The seven associated Tribes of Yosemite had participated in controlled burning of the forest floor for centuries, until settlers put a stop to this practice and now we are learning from the repercussions of this choice.

Thanks in part to Conservancy donors, Tribal-led fire crews are bringing fire back to the landscape. Learn more about the Tribal crews in the article, Little Fires, Big Purpose: https://yosemite.org/little-fires-big-purpose/

Do you have any burning questions about Yosemite? Let us know in the comments below!

Description: A naturalist explores a dense forrest in Yosemite, a video of a controlled burn near El Capitan, a mossy forrest floor, a vintage photo of settlers on horses in front of Upper Yosemite Falls, a naturalists sitting on a downed tree. by @yosemiteconservancy

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11 days ago

Welcome back to Yosemite Valley!
Make sure to stop by the @yosemiteconservancy Exploration Center during your stay in yosemite! taken in Yosemite National Park by @yosemiteconservancy

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15 days ago

I'm excited for this October!

I’ve partnered up with the Yosemite Conservancy once again this year to instruct the daily art classes in Yosemite Valley from October 5th–9th. This is a beginner friendly watercolor class where all skill levels are welcome!

Then, October 19th–21st, I’ll be instructing a 3-day watercolor retreat in the Valley where I'll progressively cover topics such as compositional design, sketching, fundamental techniques, value, color theory, and more!

If you want to join, use promo code ZACH10 for 10% off.

Hope to see you there! Links below:

Daily classes (Oct 5–9): https://yosemite.org/event/watercolor-with-zach-polic/ 

3-day retreat (Oct 19–21): https://yosemite.org/event/art-retreat-watercolor-with-zach-polic/ taken in Happy Isles Nature Center by @yosemiteconservancy

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16 days ago